i love 'em! paul ryan is hoping to ride the wave of republican momentum when he faces joe biden in tonight's vice presidential debate. good afternoon. i'm dina bair. and i'm tonya francisco in for steve sanders. we welcome our viewers who are watching us around the country on wgn america and on the web. our top story for his part biden will need to recover some political ground for democrats. the candidates will meet at centre college in danville, kentucky tonight. hot topics will include ryan's budget plan. which is popular with conservatives. biden also is expected to hit hard on the republican plan to create a voucher system for medicare. polls show the race is tightening into a virtual tie. especially after last week's presidential debate. where mitt

romney was widely viewed as the winner over barack obama. both sides say they're ready. >>i know how he will attack us. >>i think joe just needs to be joe. ryan is a smart and effective speaker. his ideas are the wrong ones. though biden is considered more experienced than ryan. political analysts say the vice president must avoid making one of his well-documented gaffes that end up distracting from the message. an issue that's sure to come up at tonight's debate is federal funding of amtrak. the company gets roughly one- point-four billion dollars a year in federal subsidies and counts vice president biden as one of its biggest supporters. biden has made more than 79-

hundred round trips from wilmington, delaware to washington, d-c during his time on capitol hill. ryan's budget plan cuts federal subsides for amtrak and high speed rail projects. republicans favor privatizing the industry instead. national polls have the race for president in a dead heat but the president can still count on support in illinois. in a new tribune wgn-tv poll 55 percent of illinois voters are going with president obama. 36 percent are for mitt romney. five percent are still undecided. but the support shifts to romney when it comes to downstate voters. romney has 46 percent of the vote, and the president only has 41 percent. another question in the poll asked illinois voters which candidate cares more about people like you. president obama wins here with 56 percent of the vote. we'll be streaming tonight's vice presidential debate live on wgn t-v dot-com, and tweeting about it with hashtag wgn 20-12. then join us on the wgn news at nine, for a debate wrap and analysis. the city is tapping into chicago's online community. seeking solutions to chicago's illegal gun problem. wgn's randi belisomo reports police superintendent garry

mccarthy and others are exploring some of those innovative ideas. police superintendent was a speaker at this morning's events. they launched a twitter handle. seeking strategy is to tackle the illegal gun issue. mccarthy had some ideas of his own. he first wish to address the tone of the debate nationwide. it is too polarizing. it must move more towards the center. the chicago police department seized nine illegal guns for everyone gun seized the first six months of the year. legislation could

help. in illinois there is no requirement to report the loss theft or replacement of a firearm. >> you give it to whoever you want. you sell it to everyone. that simple measure would change the dynamic of firearms. those guns to not have expiration dates. >> this is an idea that is in

the conceptual stage. considering the possibility of boosting the number of charter schools. >> severe seriously considering that. as the ceo of 613 charter schools is says that his time to consider new options. it is for successful charter school operations to take over failing or so-called turn around schools across the city. harris said to

be attending under performing or under a rule schools. the mayor has been a strong supporter of charter schools. efforts to reach the teachers' union for comment have been unsuccessful. he has a vested interest in charter school expansion. he says parents clearly want more charter schools. >> a written statement to the

public schools communications officer says " given the daunting financial and academic challenges facing cps is our obligation to explore options that can expand the district region. given all students the ability to have higher education options. the school system is not ready to continue as planned. more than willing to take some of these turnaround schools and turn them into charter schools. today is day seven of the teachers strike in evergreen park. some teachers camped out last

night, while their union met with school officials over a new contract. the ten hour session ended at two thirty in the morning, with no resolution. both sides say they're still far apart on teachers salaries and benefits. negotiators won't meet again until later this evening. wood family foundation breaks ground on kerry wood cubs field the wood family foundation celebrates the groundbreaking of kerry wood cubs field baseball stadium in partnership with chicago cubs, the ricketts family, chicago cubs charities, chicago park district, chicago public schools, turner construction alderman ameya pawar, and clark park advisory council. the stadium, located in the avondale area north of the city, will include seating for 1,100 spectators and fans and will be operated by the chicago park district. while its purpose is >> if seen the pictures of it.

coming up later: the airline that's about to start charging more and whether or not other carriers will follow. also ahead the latest developments in colorado where police continue to search for a ten- year-old girl who went missing last friday. also ahead colorado theater shooting suspect james holmes appears in court today.

>>police in colorado held a brief news conference this morning regarding a body found while searching for a missing girl. police did not confirm whether the body found was that of missing 10-year-old jessica ridgeway but said they will continue to search for the missing girl near hear home and the park where she disappeared from on her way to school last friday. investigators believe jessica was kidnapped and are confident her parents were not involved in her diappearance. a court hearing is set for today in the case against accused colorado movie theater shooter james holmes. the denver post reports this will be the first time much of the evidence in the case is made public. prosecutors plan to file 14 additional counts of attempted murder. bringing the total number of criminal counts against holmes to 166. holmes is accused of killing 12-people and wounding 58-others

in the july shooting spree during the midnight showing of "the dark knight rises." a senior security official at the u-s embassy in yemen was shot and killed earler this morning. qassem aqlani was leading the investigation into last month's protest and break-in at the embassy. gunman on motorcycles, shot at aqlani car while he was on his way to work in yemen's capital. investigators believe it may be the work of al-qaeda. a republican-led house oversight committee held its first congressional hearing. into the benghazi attack that killed u-s ambassador, chris stevens and three other americans. intially the white house claimed the attack was due to spontaneous outrage over a you- tube video. that claim has since been withdrawn. the state department says the attack was clearly the work of terroristsall sides did agree that the embassy was out- gunned. at the time of the attack, there were only five security

agents at the compound. critics say, better security measures could have saved lives. just ahead claims for unemployment benefits plunge. and, still to come this midday. why staying warm this fall and winter will mean a more expensive heating bill. >> the soldiers are teaming up with jordan's military. training them. >> turkish military intercepted passenger plane from syria. they forced the plane to land. authorities say they needed to see the equipment. 30 passengers

were aboard the flight. the nobel prize for literature has been awarded to a beloved chinese author. he is being honored for work that intertwines fantasy and everyday life. the nobel prize award could help spark more freedom for china. just ahead claims for unemployment benefits plunge. and, still to come this midday. why staying warm this fall and winter will mean a more expensive heating bill. and later in lunchbreak we're learning several fall-inspired recipes. we're cooking with apples!

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339,000. that is actually the lowest in four years. they say this latest report on jobs is consistent with the labour market. it is gradually getting better. winter is just around the corner. it might cost more to stay warm in your home. cash prices may climb 15% this winter. the energy administration says propane and electric bills will likely climb on forecasts of a return to a colder more normal winter. close

to a multibillion-dollar settlement with the justice department. it would resolve civil and criminal liability if. could be liable for up t 300. >> airfare's ranging from 4-$10 roundtrip. this is the 14th attempted price increase. better educated americans have more debt than their less educated counterparts. researchers report that 27 percent of all americans paid more than 40 percent of their income to mortgages, loans credit card debt, and other

"fixed expenses". and those with a college education were more likely to be burdened by debt than people with a high school diploma or less. americans who said they were optimistic about the economy were also more likely to have problems with debt. just ahead. cook county board president toni preckwinkle asks for legal action against joe berrios who's accused of hiring family members. and you can call it jailhouse rock. the new music proggram being introduced today at cook county jail. plus live music this midday from jacob jeffries band. they're on stage tonight at the elbo room. >> [music] that was me... the day i learned i had to start insulin for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used.

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arraignment is scheduled for later today, for a teenager from hillside accused of trying to bomb a crowded bar in the west loop last month. 18-year-old adel daoud is charged with trying to use a weapon of mass destruction, and trying to destroy a building with a car bomb. if convicted, he faces a life prison sentence. cook county board president toni preckwinkle says she supports legal action to punish county assessor joe berrios for loading up his payroll with his relatives. berrios has given county jobs to his son, daughter and sister, even though county ethics rules forbid it. berrios says the rules don't

apply to him. the ethics board plans to sue to force berrios to pay a ten- thousand dollar fine, and fire his relatives. and preckwinkle says she supports the appointment of a special state's attorney to put pressure on berrios. a sea otter, rescued from the exxon valdez oil spill has died. in 19-89, the exxon valdez tanker leaked 11-million gallons of oil into prince william sound in alaska. was just a pup at the time. she was rescued, rehabilitated and eventually moved to a permanent home here in chicago at the shedd aquarium. she has been a favorite with visitors and staff at the shedd. recently, keen-eye had been suffering health problems. she was 23 years old. the average life expectancy for a sea otter is 15 to 18 years. keen-eye well exceeded that. an outreach program that aims to make life on the streets a little easier will be handing out backpacks to chicago's homeless people again tonight and tomorrow.

the "citypak project" is distributing the backpacks through catholic charities.a group of tibetan monks from india will be at navy pier this weekend for a special presentation. the monks will hold chanting ceremonies as they create a mandala. a sand painting. the mandala is constructed by pouring dyed sand particles into intricate patterns to form a diagram that represents buddhist traditions and principles. you can see the tibetan monks at navy pier's crystal gardens from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. saturday. a new music program is being introduced at cook county jail.

starting today, inmates can sign up for 8 weeks of guitar lessons as part of the jail guitars program. it was created in honor of the late joe strummer, founder of the band, the clash. the guitars were donated by the lead singer of the band i've worked hard to build my family. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips

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it is good to be sitting here instead of out on the street. it is really windy out there. we'll show you some when speed. somebody called yesterday and said it was an unusually lindy october. it is changing

temperatures. we certainly have seen this this month. to look at the waves. the wind blows off shore. i bought a 12 degree increase. this october is running about 10.2 degrees cooler than october a year ago. there's only been 170 degree day so far. five is average. the wind is the big

story today. although temperatures are on the increase you will want a little tacky. it is certainly not a warm day by any stretch of the imagination. these are just averages. the instantaneous burst of wind is the cost. that is where we have these 30 m.p.h. cuss calling in the areagusts going in the area. they come down this evening then they switch. winds ahve gusted to 41 in harvard. the situation

outside of the station. here is the view in buffalo grove. temperatures are in the 60s today. quite a nice recovery. the dew point is 34. water temperature continues to drop. here is the cool air gathering to the north. it will be kind of a cool day. it will not be here long. a warm front will swing through on saturday. later in the weekend the cold air dives in once again. we are 12 degrees

warmer than 24 hours ago. here is our model forecast showing the clouds assembling by 7 this evening. beyond that the sky is clear. we are back in chilly air again. frost and freeze advisories. here is a storm out in colorado. this little spin in the clouds is the beginning of a pretty wild weekend. our weather maps show tomorrows

high. the gulf opening up. look at this area of rain that comes in. here is where the rain will be by day break. by noon the rain has come into the area. they scatter up in the afternoon. the cold front comin g in saturday and sunday. here is a forecast as to how much rain the system will produce. this is really respectable rain. we need it. it would not be bad to recharge the soil. we are

dry. these storms are moving ina strong upper wind field. there may be any one of these thunderstorms producing wind damage. we will warm up later saturday. also more humid. temperatures will dive again on sunday. gusty southwest wind. tonight. cloudy. tonights low 37. tomorrow is sunny and

cooler. a 53 degree high. saturday more clouds. spells of showers and storms. some could produce downpours. if you plan right you can dodge some of these showers. we could have some weather watches. >>get out early >>the heaviest rain will be early afternoon.

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time for sports. the bye week has officially

begun for the bears. players are off until monday while coaches work today, before taking the weekend off. several veterans got to sit out the hour- long practice yesterday. g-m phil emery was there to share his thoughts on the team's progress this season. he denied a report that he discussed a contract extension with lovie smith, and those talks will wait until after the season. emery also said he's impressed with jay cutler, who is undeniably the franchise quarterback. >>i am a jay cutler fan. i believe in what he is doing. those stats say something. we have a winner at a key position. the athletics and tigers. oakland trails by two in the ninth, and with two men on. seth smith ties the game with a double to right center. still in the ninth with two outs now and coco crisp drives in the game winner with the base hit to right. oakland wins 4-3, to force a deciding game five tonight.

game three in new york where alex rodriguez was benched in the ninth. yankees trail the orioles by a run when pinch- hitter raul ties the game with a solo home run to right. it's still tied at two in the 12-th and does it again with a walk- off home run. yankees win 3-2 and now lead the series 2-1. in the national league. the giants force a game five against the reds, and the cardinals go up 2-1 on the nationals. that's a look at sports. your live illinois lottery drawing is next. >>good afternoon. your midday winning lottery numbers. let's get started. winning pick 3

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in medical watch. the latest on an experimental vaccine for the most common sexually transmitted disease.

vaccines are already on the market to prevent the virus that causes cervical cancer. but they were designed as prevention for young women who haven't yet been explosed to that virus, known as h-p-v. now, a pharmaceutical company has developed an experimental vaccine for people who already have h-p-v and the precancerous lesions associated with it. the experimental vaccine is formulated in synthetic d-n-a and pure water and it uses a woman's own immune system to fight off cancer. a warning about the dangers of liquid nitrogen cocktails. the trendy cocktains have become popular because they bubble and let out cauldron-like steam. but an 18-year-old british woman who recently drank one during a birthday celebration became very ill and needed to have her stomach removed to save her life. when liquid nitrogen turns from a liquid into a gas, it expands to more than 600 times its liquid volume. if it's swallowed and gets down into a person's stomach, it could explode. the c-d-c says 48 million americans are sickened by bad food each year, and three

thousand die. food-borne salmonella causes the most deaths. many victims of contaminated food are those with under- developed or weakened immune systems, such as children and the elderly. the u-s had 37 recalls of fruits and vegetables last year. and a bloomberg investigation found that f-d-a inspections of industry facilities are rare and food companies often hire their own inspectors and tell them what to look at. lunchbreak is next. fall inspired recipes. we're making hot caramel apple cider.

in today's lunchbreak fall fun with apples easy recipes for the season. amy hanten is a midwest mom who blogs and post recipes on her popular website the cooking mom dot com. thanks for coming in. you have used apples for just about everything >>i had to. me and my daughter picked too many apples. i am not a chef. i call myself a cooking mom. you are creative and that is what i love. if it is not easy, it is not happening in my house >>i love my slow cooker.

anybody can do this. this is my german dinner in a slow cooker. some red potatoes. a big jar. we have drained a little bit. this is my favorite . smoked italian sauce. a little bit of bacon. >>it will really smell good we have 6 strips of bacon. this is optional. >>we arehere is the fun part.

whenever you are doing a slowcooker reciped you need a liquid. german beer will do put a lid on it out the door . everybody loves it. it is so easy this is an apple coleslaw. it can be really fun if you jazz it up. it is wonderful. it works nice as a starter. a carmel apple dip.

this is a little bit naughty but it is so good. an apple pie dip. cooked them for a few minutes right on the stove. these are cinnamon sugar tortilla chips. really healthy afternoon snack. this is my favorite. this is overnight apple oatmeal. put the lid on it. you go to bed. wake

up and the oatmeal is done. 6-8 hours. it is done. left overs you can heat up for the week. people are going to get oatmeal. you can make this for a whole lot less. so creative and easy. thaknk you for having me amy hanten, thanks so much for joining us. for more of her ideas,check out her website: the cooking mom dot com.

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time now for the answer to today's trivia question. we asked: how many apple varieties are known around the world? a. 100 b. 3,500 c. 7,000 the answer: c. 7,000 >> we are watching the storm spinning through california and the west. all the way from texas

north into our area. it is even going to snow and the color of bonds. there will not be in the snow here. saturday morning. it is not raining according to the model. we will the timing that more accurately for you in the days ahead. it is going to be windy. many can change the

course for you. there is the rain that is expected to occur. here is our forecast. it will end up that warm later in the day. monday partly sunny. turns quite cool later next week. then thing is they will come in bursts. it will not rain continuously from sun up to sun down. thanks for joining us today. hope you have a great afternoon. remember we're back at 5 and 9.

more music now from "jacob jeffries band". they're on stage tonight at ten at the elbo room. for other performance dates check out jacob jeffries band dot com. >> [music]